We love what grilling does for fruit. Here we coated tropical fruits — kiwi, pineapple, banana, and mango — with a simple glaze of maple syrup, cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne pepper. On the grill, the heat caramelizes the glaze, lightly charring the fruit and bringing out all of its natural sugars. The warm fruit is still crunchy and fresh, yet super juicy, sweet, and delightfully spicy.

Fruit skewers are a dashing, more adventuresome, alternative to the ubiquitous fruit salad. They make a lovely side dish, and we recommend pairing them with grilled pork chops or swordfish. We also like to slide the fruit off the skewer and into a waiting bowl of vanilla ice cream. Warm maple-spiced fruit and melty ice cream? Yes, please.

Our tip: Use your favorite tropical fruits. Stone fruit, if it is not too ripe, also works well, especially if you intend to use the skewers for dessert. The glaze is dynamite on an apricot!

Servings: 4

Ingredients You Will Need

½ cup pure maple syrup

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

4 cups fruit chunks, such as pineapple, mango, banana, and kiwi

Directions for How to Make Fruit Skewers & Spicy Maple Glaze Recipe

1. Heat the grill to medium.

2. Soak the bamboo skewers in a bowl of water and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Set it aside.

4. Put the fruit in a large bowl, pour the glaze over it, and toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate.

5. Thread the fruit on the soaked skewers, alternating each fruit type.

6. Place the skewers on the grill and cook directly over medium heat for 1 ½ minutes on each side, or until browned and caramelized. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from: Epicurious